Outboard-motor drive



July 5 1927. 1,634,942

H. J. HILLBORN ouTBoARD MOTOR DRIVE Filed Sept. 18. 1926 #MM5 #www Patented .hay l5,1927.

UNITED STATES A y 1,634,942 riviala'r OFFICE.

HERBERT '.I. IIIIQLBOEN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOE To EvINnUDE MOTOE COMPANY, or MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OE WISCONSIN.

OTBOARD-MOTOR DRIVE.

Application alpasep'ehiber 1s, i926. seriai No. 136,220.

This invention relates to improvements" in outboard. motor drives. ff It is the object of the invention to provide a novel and improved meansmf incorpointing a slip clutch infan outboard motor drire. VIt is mypurpose to incorporate the clutch at a. point where a' minimum of variation will be required from standard constructions, where the clutch will be protected from injury either by direct blows or by the accumulation of grit or sediment therein, and where the clutch will be comparatively readily accessible tor repair if necessary.

It is a further important Object of the invention to provide a construction in which a comparatively light spring may be used with the assistance of engineI thrust, the arrangement being such that when the clutch is made to slip as byl a sudden shock the pressureholding the two parts ot the clutch together will immediately be relieved and will not be reestablished untilthe parts are again in position for normal Operation.

The drawing represents the lower or normally .submerged portionsA ot an outboard motor, the housing being partially broken away to a vertical axial section to expose the interior construction.

At 1 I have illustrated the .usual submerged gear housing which has skeg 2 and tin elements 3 formed integrally therewith for assistance in steering. The gear housing is made in two relatively separable sections 4 and 5 which aiord access to the propeller shaft 6 and gears 7 and 8 housed therein. The entire housing is assembled at the lower end of a tubular drive shaft housing 9 in which the drive shaft 10 is rotatable. Gear 7 is mounted at the end of drive shaft 10.and meshes with gear 8 which is carried by the propeller shaft 6 for the actuation of propeller 15.V N

In accordance with this invention the bevel gear 8 is not made :tast to propeller shaft 6 but is loosely mounted thereon, and its hub gear 8 is provided with a conically V tapered recess 16, the inner surface of which provides one of the faces of the friction clutch. The other clutch member is a frusto conical block 17 keyed as by pin 18 to the propeller shaft 6. A relatively light spring 19 is wound upon the propeller Shaft and 1s under compression between washer 20 and the loosely mounted hub of gear 8.

vThe spring tends to maintain the gear hub in frictional driving relation to the clutch member 17 carried by shaft 6. In this function the spring is assisted Aby the thrust of the driving bevel gear 7 upon the 60 driven bevel gear 8. It will be obvious, however, that if a sudden shockV stops the propeller 15 and the clutch begins to slip the thrust-between gears 7 and 8 will be relieved to t-he extent of the slippage and 654 in consequence the frictional driving enfragernent betweeni theV two parts of the clutch will likewise be relieved.` As a result of this arrangement the clutch will in practice be=subject to little more than the pressure of` spring 19 when slipping and will consequently be enabled tn slip with little wear or damage to the parts. Until it is sub]ected to such a shock as causes it to slip, however, the clutch will be far more powerful .than 'the pressure of spring 19 would indicate, due to the thrust between t-he gears.

In addition to the advantages above described it will be noted that the clutch is o placed within a housing which is normally full of lubricant and in which the clutch may Operate under ideal conditions so far as lubrication and inaccessibilit of foreign matter is concerned. The clutc is further n relieved of all shock except such as comesl toY it properly through the propeller and in the event that inspection or repair of the parts is desired, the clutch is readily accessible by separat-ion of the component parts 4 and 5 of the submerged gear housing 1.

I claim:

1. The combination with the submersible gear housing of an Outboard motor, and a propeller drive therethrough including a power shaft and a propeller shaft with interconnecting gearing, Of a slip clutch incorporated in said drive within said housin 2. The combination with the submersib e "0 gear housing of an outboard motor, and a propeller drive therethrough including a power shaft and a propellershaft with intermeshed gears on said shafts, ofia slip clutch incorporated in said drive within said housing and including complementary clutch members relatively movable axially of said propeller shaft and connected for rotation respectively with said propeller shaft and the gear thereon, together wlth a. spring urgu ing said members together in normally operatxve motion transmitting relation, the compression of said spring being ada ted to permit relative rotative movement etween saidf members upon shock` to said propeller sha t.

3. The combination with the submersible gear housing of an outboard motor, and a propeller drive therethrough including a power shaft and a propeller shaft with 1ntermeshed gears on sald shafts, of a slip clutch incorporated in said drive within said housin and including com lementary clutch mem rs relatively mova le axially of one of said shafts and connected for rotation respectively with said shaft and the gear thereon, together with a spring urging said members together in normally operative motion transmitting relation, the compression of said s ring being adapted to permit relative rotatlve movement between said members upon shock to said propeller shaft.

4. The combination with the submersible gear housing of an outboard motor, a propeller drive therethrough including a power shaft and a ropeller shaft with intermeshed driving an driven earson the res ective shafts, propeller shafgt bearings in sai housing s aced from said ears, and a bearing in said iousing for sai power shaft closel adjacent to the gear thereon, of a slip clutc i incorporated in said drive within said hous ing and including complementary clutch members relatively movable axially of said ropeller shaft, between said bearings thereore, and connected for rotation with said propeller shaft and the gear thereon, together with a spring urgingsaid members together in normall operative motion transmltting relation, t e compression of said spring being adapted to ermit rotative movement between said mem rs upon shock to said propeller shaft.

5. In an outboard motor drive, the combination with a drive shaft and a propeller shaft, of a driving bevel gear fixed to the drive shaft, a driven bevel gear rotatable upon the propeller shaft and meshing with the driving bevel gear, a clutch member on the propeller shaft adapted to receive power from said driven bevel gear and a clutch face on said driven bevel gear opposite to the teeth thereof and formed for iinteraction with said clutch member, whereby the thrust between said gears will tend to maintain said driven gear in operative driving engagement with said clutch member.

6. In an outboard motor drive, the combination with a propeller shaft and a clutch member fixed thereto, of a complementa clutch member rotatable upon said sha t and provided at one end with a clutch face for engagement with said first mentioned clutch member and at the other end with bevel gear teeth, a spring pressing said rotatable clutch member into driving engagement with the clutch member fixed to said shaft and a driving pinion meshin with said gear teeth and adapted to exert t ereon, a thrust supplementing the pressure of said spring.

- 7. he combination with the upright shaft housing and submersible gear housing, of an outboard mot-or, of a drivin shaft in said shaft housing provided wit a inion in said gear housing, a pro eller sha t in said gear housing substantia ly at right angles to said drive shaft, a clutch member fixed to said propeller shaft, abevel gear rotatabl mounted on said propeller shaft in mes with said pinion und provided with a clutch face engageable with said member, a helical compression spring wound upon said propeller shaft and provided with a relatively fixed seat confining it in pressure engagement with said gear, the thrust of said pinion upon said gear being exerted in the direction of said thrust member whereby to supplement the pressure of said spring, whereby the combined thrust and spring pressure maintain said gear in operative driving engagement with said clutch mem ber and propeller shaft subject to relief of pressure when such thrust is relieved.

HERBERT J. HrLLBoRN. 

